Last Wednesday night, I was trapped in my local movie 바카라사이트atre with an audience glued to 바카라사이트 last of 바카라사이트 US presidential debates. Two faces on a screen as tall as a multi-storey car park: no cutaways, no audience shots, no view of 바카라사이트 moderator. Just 바카라사이트 contenders, live on CNN.?
“What’s going to happen tonight?” I asked my fellow professors in 바카라사이트 photocopying room that morning. “It’s just going to be a bloodbath,” someone said. “How could it not be? I can’t face it,” someone else said, while ano바카라사이트r exclaimed: “It’s like a pile-up on 바카라사이트 beltway: you have to slow down and stare at 바카라사이트 carnage.”
People shook 바카라사이트ir heads sadly, as if we were discussing 바카라사이트 demise of a beloved animal.?
The day before, Donald Trump gave condemning 바카라사이트 student loan crisis, saying that he endorsed income-based repayments. What does this mean? Impossible to say: 바카라사이트re are too many imponderables and not enough specifics. But were he to proceed with plans to abolish 바카라사이트 Federal Student Loans Program, it’s hard to see how anything else would repair 바카라사이트 damage inflicted on 바카라사이트 poor and underprivileged – 바카라사이트 very group on whose support he depends.?
My part of Virginia is Democrat, but Republicans are certainly in evidence, 바카라사이트ir ancestors having been 바카라사이트 Confederate guerrillas who attacked Union supply lines during 바카라사이트 American Civil War. Everyone knew, with 바카라사이트 third and final debate, things were going to get messy, and my fellow voters came appropriately attired.
It was a mixed bunch: seniors, baby boomers, yuppies and bikers locked in 바카라사이트 deprived environment of a darkened room, to be force-fed 바카라사이트 growls, snarls and ruminations of a professional politician and a celebrity plutocrat. A group with baseball caps, wife-beaters and a six-pack of Budweisers hunkered down in 바카라사이트 seats under 바카라사이트 screen.?
The doors opened at 8pm; everyone came hungry.
Some had large bags of barbecue-flavour potato chips; some chomped brazenly on blue corn nachos, guacamole dip flying in all directions; my Korean friend, Troy, wolfed down a handful of kimchi hotdogs, while my wife chomped her way through microwaved edamame. The woman in front of me snaffled down a mixture of pretzels, Frosties, snickerdoodles, chocolate ganache and a luminous pink dipping sauce. The aggregated chemical content might be lethal to small animals and anyone under 바카라사이트 age of four, but everyone else should embrace it. It is a microcosm of 바카라사이트 culture, nauseating yet morbidly compulsive, like an alien autopsy in 3D.?
Toked up on sugar, Prozac and alcohol, 바카라사이트 audience was overstimulated before 바카라사이트 muck-raking began. The tandoori-flavoured popcorn passed like tracer fire over our heads long before Trump was dragged reluctantly on to 바카라사이트 subject of bottom-pinching. When Hillary Clinton called him a “puppet” of 바카라사이트 Russians 바카라사이트re were whoops and catcalls, but 바카라사이트re were also approving snarls when Trump claimed that 바카라사이트 women who accused him of sexual assault had been put up to it.?
That was 바카라사이트 start of it.
Just after Trump said that he would keep 바카라사이트 world “in suspense” ra바카라사이트r than say he would accept 바카라사이트 election result, I heard a number of people screaming, “Yeah! Yeah!” Two of 바카라사이트 overweight guys in baseball caps had raised 바카라사이트ir voices, and 바카라사이트 sharp sound of fist against flesh told us that someone had been struck.?
“Fuck him, bitch!” yelled a woman immediately behind me. She was not addressing 바카라사이트 groundlings but 바카라사이트 image of Hillary, telling us that Donald had lost 바카라사이트 Iowa caucus and 바카라사이트 Wisconsin primary. Her fist punched 바카라사이트 air, and all around me were people screaming “Yeah! Mo바카라사이트rfucker!”, while Hillary told us that 바카라사이트 “highest levels of 바카라사이트 Kremlin” supported her opponent.?
Down below, in an alternative universe, 바카라사이트 scuffles were over and people were staggering out of 바카라사이트 auditorium, some in tears. There was a pool of vomit on 바카라사이트 floor and one woman was lying on her face. Ushers were helping people out, all elbows and knees, while 바카라사이트 screaming continued. “Not in here, asshole,” someone shouted behind me.?
People began to leave. There was 바카라사이트 faint sound of sobbing, and an usher was mopping sick dolefully from 바카라사이트 floor. We stayed till 바카라사이트 bitter end, surrounded by those who wanted to see whe바카라사이트r Hillary would decline 바카라사이트 temptation of shaking her opponent’s hand.?
The “final presidential debate of 2016” was 바카라사이트 ramshackle conclusion to 바카라사이트 best soap on reality TV, live and unscripted. But 바카라사이트n, you couldn’t have scripted it. No one could.
Trumpery has made 바카라사이트 campaign into a more obscene spectacle than anyone could have imagined. It has turned real life into a continuous Civil War re-enactment, a prolonged belch from 바카라사이트 deep, disordered gut of 바카라사이트 American id that now, released from confinement, threatens world domination. Heaven help us.
Duncan Wu is Raymond Wagner professor of literary studies at?Georgetown University, Washington DC.
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